Food
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HiroNori Craft Ramen – Irvine, CA | Authentic Broth And Sauce With Fresh Ramen Noodles
The Background
HiroNori opened their first restaurant back in 2017 and have now expanded to 13 locations throughout California, primarily in Southern California. The popular ramen restaurant has received numerous awards from local food critics since its opening. Notable awards include being selected to join the 2019 Michelin Guide and most recently being named a Michelin Guide Bib of the Week in 2023. In other words, this place serves some quality ramen!
HiroNori has three different types of ramen: Tonkotsu Ramen, Shoyu Ramen, and Vegan Ramen. The best known is the Tonkatsu Ramen. The Tonkatsu broth is made in a traditional Japanese manner, prepared with simmered pork bones as its base. The broth takes 24 hours to prepare. The quality and depth of flavor is a positive reflection of this broth preperation.
The Experience
The location I went to was the original restaurant in a small shopping center off Michelson Drive in Irvine. It opens up at 11am so I got there around 11:15am on a Thursday to grab a bowl of Ramen for lunch. One side note here: parking gets really bad in this center during peak hours. It’s a small parking lot for so many restuarants and shops.
On this day, at this time, parking was not too bad. HiroNori itself can get very busy at dinner. It’s a rather small space, so it fills up rapidly. By the time I got to the restaurant, there was no line, but the restaurant was already half full.
There’s no sign above the restaurant. You’ll hvae to find the HiroNori logo on the door. Or just follow the line 
In addition to the ramen HiroNori offers a few rice bowl selections and sides. As mentioned above, there’s three different types of ramen here: Tonkatsu, Shoyu, and Vegan. Tonkatsu ($16.30) was a no-brainer selection for me.
A nice touch here as I waited for my ramen was the water. Yes, I know water is generally an afterthought, but here the water was infused with watermelon, lemon, and mint. Quite refreshing on a summer day!
After sipping on my water, the ramen came out shortly thereafter. Superb service!
Topped with two pieces of pork chashu, green onion, spinach, seaweed, bean sprouts, and a half egg ,this ramen had a lot going on. Just by looking at the hue of the broth, I could tell this was going to be extremely rich.
The broth was indeed very rich and provided quite a unique flavor. Because of its richness, this broth carried more weight than other Tonkatsu broths. With the broth taking 24 hours to prepare there’s a distinct, deep porky flavor, which I haven’t experienced elsewhere. It’s a VERY flavorful Tonkatsu broth.
The pork chashu is very tender and nearly falls apart when picked up. Nicely grilled with fantastic char flavor, this was some good pork chashu. I loved the fat to meat ratio on the two pieces as well!
HiroNori makes fresh noodles daily and it’s readily apparent in both texture and flavor. The noodles are al dente, with great springiness, and are a little thicker than other ramen noodles.
The half egg was great as well. Somewhat between a hard boiled and poached egg. The yolk was very creamy and tasty.
Every bite of the ramen contains multiple layers of textures to enjoy from the noodles, to the pork, the egg, the spinach, seaweed, and green onion. Washing it down with some of that flavor filled broth was truly satisyfying.
The Verdict
HiroNori Craft Ramen offers a unique Tonkatsu Ramen experience. The broth has such a deep, pork infused flavor compared to other Tonkatsu Ramen broths. It’s a real standout. Combined with the freshly made noodles, tender pork chashu, and veggies, it all adds up to one tasty bowl of ramen.
HiroNori stands toe to toe with some of the best ramen locations in Orange County, of which there are many. If you’re in the area of one of their many locations it’s definitely worth a try!
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How Good Is Orange County Seafood Staple Bear Flag Fish?
The Background
Bear Flag Fish has been an Orange County staple since it opened its first establishment in 2007. Now with three locations, two in Newport Beach and one in Huntington Beach, Bear Flag Fish continues to prosper.
A part of the long term success, outside of the delicious food, is the freshness of the fish provided. The history of Bear Flag and how it came to be is pretty interesting.
I wasn’t aware, but evidently they have three boats they use to catch and serve some of the fish you find in their restaurants. Nor was I aware that they have their own local processing plant. Pretty neat!
The Experience
I went to the Huntington Beach restaurant which is located at the Pacific City outdoor mall right on Pacific Coast Highway. It’s a great location with it being located right across the street from the beach. You can grab a table outside and have a great view.
This location, amidst a busy outdoor mall crowd, is always going to be busy. The line when I went wasn’t too bad though since I went at a non-peak time (4ish).
The menu has a wide range of seafood options. From sauteed clams and mussels, fish tacos and burritos, cioppino, seafood plates, and sushi. There’s a little bit of everything for a sea food fan.
I’ve had the fish tacos here before but decided to go with the fish burrito on this day. Suitably called the Bear Flag Burrito ($13.25), it consists of panko-crusted white fish, white or brown rice (I went with white), black beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, tommy sauce, and avocado.
The burrito is decently sized. Something that I appreciated was that everything was mixed well together. With some burritos it’s more layered with all the meat at one end and beans on the other so bites are lacking a mixture of everything. Not the case here!
Seemingly with every bite I got some fish, veggies, rice, and black beans. Seems simple enough but doesn’t always happen with burritos.
What immedietely stands out is the freshness of of the ingredients. Everything in the burrito from the fish to the veggies tastes incredibly fresh.
There’s a good amount of fish in the burriro as well. They don’t skimp here.
Flavor wise it’s good but seems a little lacking in flavor. The fish isn’t overly seasoned so there’s not a ton of taste there. The tommy sauce which is some sort of mayo mixture and hot sauce it seems helps but I needed some extra pizazz. Luckily, there’s plenty of hot sauce options to choose from, which I love, and always go great with fish tacos / burritos.
Texture wise there wasn’t too much here. Surprisingly, no real crunch separated itself from the rest of the burrito. I was hoping the panko covering the fish would be a little crunchy but it wasn’t. Texture doesn’t make or break the burrito but it would certailny help it stand out more.
The Verdict
Bear Flag Fish offers fresh seafood at reasonable prices with a deep pool of diverse items on the menu. The quality and freshness of the ingredients are the clear standouts. Although I found the seasoning and overall flavor of the burrito a little bland, the addition of hot sauce quickly remedied this.
Overall, it’s an enjoyable burrito in a great atmosphere with even better view.
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Gurume Sushi In Irvine Offers High Quality Sushi in the OC
The Background
Found in the corner of a shopping center in Irvine, CA, Gurume Sushi offers gourmet style sushi (Gurume means “Gourmet” in Japanese after all) and other signature dishes. There’s also an Omakase menu which is a nice option to see.
The menu is pretty hefty and diverse. In addition to some inventive rolls and sashimi, there’s classic Japanese dishes like Suki Yaki, Udon, Tempura, and Japanese meal sets . There’s also fusion type offerings like Yellowtail w / Jalapeno Carpaccio, Amberjack Miso Ceviche, and Uni Pasta.
There’s so many items on the menu that sound appetizing it’s certainly tough to decide on one single item!
The Experience
I came here on a Friday with family around lunch time and got seated immedietely. The restaurant was pretty quiet on this day, which was nice. The atmosphere overall seems like a very chill vibe with a sleek modern look to it.
We ended up ordering the Shrimp Tempura ($13 for pcs) and Vegetable Tempura ($10) for appetizers. I also ordered the Rainbow Roll ($18) and shared a Spicy Tuna Roll as the main course.
Vegetable Tempura The tempura comes with a side of grated daikon (it’s a type of radish) along with a dipping sauce (tentsuyu). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grab any photos of the shrimp before it got devoured. But the shrimp was delicious. You’ll have to take my word about it.
The batter they use for the tempura is outstanding. Light and airy, with an incredibly satisfying crunch on the outside contrasting with the tenderness of well cooked shrimp. Best part is the lack of grease. At some places the tempura may be a tad soggy due to the excess grease. Not here!
The vegetable tempura consisted of onion, I believe shishito pepper, yam, and zuchinni. Equally as delicious as the shrimp, the batter coating the veggies really shines through again. My favorite was the shishito pepper. Definitely very tasty especially when dipped into the tentsuyu sauce.
Spicy Tuna Roll 
Rainbow Roll 
Starting with the Spicy Tuna Roll: I thought this was good. Tuna was solid with decent spice. Rice was well seasoned and tasted good.
There wasn’t really anything about it that stood out to me. It’s a solid roll and what I would expect at a restaurant like this. With Spicy Tuna rolls it’s a little more difficult to truly stand out as exceptional and unique. There’s only so much you can do with it in my opinion.
Now the Rainbow Roll on the other hand, was quite exceptional. Consisting of bluefin tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp, and avocado on top of snow crab roll, the presentation was fantastic and the roll was well made. What really stood out was the freshness of the fish. This was very good quality. Some of the best I’ve eaten in Orange County. Combined with the snow crap mixture, avocado, and well-seasoned sushi rice, each individual piece was a treat to eat after a quick dip in soy sauce and wasabi.
The Verdict
Gurume Sushi offers premium sushi at fairly reasonable prices. The service was great and attentive and food came out quickly. It may be a little pricier than similiar sushi joints, but the higher prices are easily justified with the quality of the food.
Specifically talking about the fish. I really wasn’t expecting it to be as fresh as it was. Definitley the good type of surprise! And certainly not something that can be said at many sushi places in the area.
I’m looking forward to my next trip to try something else on this expansive menu!
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52 Years And Counting – Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant Continues To Deliver
The Background
Mi Casa Restaurant is a much beloved Mexican restaurant that’s been a staple in Costa Mesa since 1972. Still going strong at age 51, the restuarant remains largely unchanged since it first opened its doors.
From its iconic front door to the red cushioned booths to the items on the menu, this is essentially the same restaurant from what I remember as a kid. It’s a very casual, sit down restaurant. While the menu largely remains intact and tastes exactly the same, which are both good things!
This type of longevity is impressive for a restaurant. The consistency of the decor and food can be attributed to the fact this is now in the 3rd generation of family ownership. Quite impressive!
The Experience
Whenever I come here to eat I always go to the Burro Room, which is the bar area. Here, you can enjoy the happy hour menu, which you can’t order from if sitting in the regular restaurant. There’s also a self-serve tortilla chip station (addicting!) and salsa bar in the Burro Room. Generally my go to order is a shredded beef taco and bean and cheese burrito wet (a la carte).
Something about Mi Casa, which I love, are the large portions and how much cheese they use. The shredded beef taco has a ridiculous amount of lettuce and cheese.
Lettuce and cheese are literally overflowing out of the taco. Every time you pick the taco up and take a bite cheese and lettuce comes tumbling out. The abundance of cheese and lettuce doens’t compensate for a lack of shredded beef. There’s a ton of meat packed into the taco. Juicy and tender, the shredded beef is definitely tasty. The hard shell taco is fresh and supremely crunchy. I always douse the taco with the Wicked salsa, which is the hottest salsa they have. Delicious!
The wet bean and cheese burrito is on the regular menu under the a la carte portion. Doesn’t look like it’s on the online menu but it’s at the restaurant. This is large burrito packed with refried beans and lots and lots of cheese and sauce.
The plate comes out piping hot and is a beautiful bean, cheese, and sauce mess once you start digging in. Mi Casa has some of my favorite refried beans. Rich, creamy, with plenty of flavor, they’re without a doubt quite tasty.
The Verdict
Serving large proportioned meals that are certain to fill even the heartiest of eaters, they don’t skimp on anything they serve you here. The prices are very reasonable for the amount of food you get.
If you’re looking for a good Mexican restaurant with chill and casual vibes, Mi Casa is the place for you. Having come here for many years it seems impervious to change (a good thing) and going there and enjoying a meal is always comforting and enjoyable.
Its been open for over 50+ years for a reason!
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Flavorful Spicy Garlic Ramen From Kashiwa Ramen! One Of Orange County’s Best Ramen Spots
The Background
Orange County is a hot bed for ramen with a ton of restaurants in the area. There’s a lot to choose from, so deciding on one place can be a daunting task if you start going down the rabbit hole of researching ramen spots.
During one of these recent ramen deep dives I came across Kashiwa Ramen in Costa Mesa. Voted Best Ramen of 2019 by OC Weekly, it wasn’t a ramen place I’d tried yet. Something that really stood out to me at first glance, was that they’re famous for chicken broth.
I haven’t seen too many places that offer a chicken ramen broth. Most places have the pork based tonkotsu broth so seeing a chicken broth was interesting.
A few different types of ramen on the menu also sounded delicious and unique,so this was a pretty easy choice to check out on this day.
The Experience
I got to the Kashiwa Ramen right around the time they opened, 11:30 am on a weekday, to avoid any potential lunch rush and walked right in. Nestled in the corner in the back of a large shopping center, there’s ample parking, especially at this time.
The restuarant itself is pretty small. I see how it can fill up quickly.
The two types of ramen that caught my eye earlier were: the Spicy Black Garlic (I’m sucker for all things spicy) and the Tsukemen aka Dipping Noodle. I haven’t seen much dipping noodle ramen options in Orange County. I’ve seen it on food vlogs but haven’t yet experienced it. Choices, choices, choices. Quite the food predicament of what to order. They also have a ramen + rice bowl combo which clearly I had to try as well.
The lunch rice bowl selection 
The actual order! I couldn’t decide which ramen to try so I asked the server which bowl was the most popular and they pointed out the Spicy Black Garlic. Sold! I also decided on combo-ing it with the Soboro Bowl. That poached egg was calling to me.
The Soboro Bowl
The Soboro Bowl came out first. A Soboro Bowl, for those that don’t know (including myself, I had to look it up) is a deep bowl dish of rice topped with a seasoned protein, in this instance ground chicken. Seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, mirin and ginger it’s generally topped with egg, this one being poached.
Pre Poach Egg break 
Sorry Mr Poached Egg, had to be done! 
Solid spoonful of Soboro It’s a deep bowl with a lot of ground chicken and rice. The egg was poached perfectly while the green onion makes the bowl “pop” with color. It’s definitely a nice looking Soboro Bowl!
Breaking up the egg and mixing it into the seasoned crumbled meat and rice provides a further richness and creaminess to the side dish.
The Spicy Black Garlic Ramen
Soon after the Soboro bowl came out the bowl of ramen followed. The ramen is topped with four pieces of grilled pork, half an egg, green onion, and wood ear mushrooms.
Anytime I get a fresh bowl of ramen the first thing I have to do is get a nice spoonful of that broth. I chose the swirl as my base broth, a combination of the chicken and tonkatsu broths, which sounded too good to pass up. A spoonful of the broth delivered a real jolt of flavor.
A rich flavorful bowl of ramen! 
Solid bite of ramen right here The garlicky, peppery flavor with a hint of smokiness, and spice from the homemade chili oil, strikes the taste buds all at once. It’s defintely one of the most flavorful broths I’ve had. The spice level was moderate. They bring out a side of the chili oil so you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
The wavy noodles were al dente and fresh tasting while the pork pieces were tender with great flavor. The wood ear mushroom provided a different type of texture and crunch to each bite.
The Verdict
Overall this was a very enjoyable lunch and quite filling. The menu has some intriguing options that are different than the usual Tonkatsu broth joints around.
The Spicy Garlic Ramen and Soboro Bowl hit the right spot for me and certainly have provided me more options to think about when I’m craving ramen in the OC.
I look forward to going back to try the Dipping Noodles along with another one of the rice bowls in the near future!
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A&J Restaurant in Irvine, CA Offers Authentic Taiwanese Dishes in Orange County
The Background
A&J Restaurant is a popular restuarant in Irvine which offers many traditional Tawainese dishes. I hadn’t eaten here before, so I was looking forward to giving it a try!
I met up with some family at 12:30 pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was packed. The restaurant isn’t too big and fills up quickly. The wait probably took about 20 mins for a party of five.
The menu is quite expansive. There’s plenty of noodle dishes, appetizes, as well as some soup and rice dishes to choose from.
My cousin suggested the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and Pan Fried Beef Bun, so those were must tries for me. By the sound of it the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup is one of the most popular items on the menu.
We also decided to get an order of the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and the Chinese Beef Wrap to share.
The Experience
Beef Noodle Soup
With the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup you get a choice between a thin or thick noodle. I opted for the thin noodle.
The broth is rich and flavorful, with just the right amount of heat from the chili peppers, which melds well with the base flavor of the broth. It will definitely get your lips burning but isn’t OVERLY spicy. The noodles were perfectly cooked and tasted quite fresh.
In addition to the broth, the beef is a real standout here. It’s extremely tender and full of flavor and really soaks up that delicious broth.
The Bok Choy and scallions add some nice crunch to the soup. A nice way to balance out the textures within the tasty soup.
Pan Fried Beef Bun
One of the standouts under the Small Plates section of the menu is the Pan Friend Beef Bun.
The pan fry gives the top and bottom of the bun a nice fried, crunchy, exterior, while the inside is nice and doughy.
The bun encases some seriously juiced up ground beef. After taking a bite the juice comes flowing out. It’s delicious!
The scallions inside the bun provide a nice crunch as well. It’s a good combination of subtle crunch from the exterior of the bun, then the dougy interior, juicy, flavorful beef, and added crunch from the scallions.
Dipping in chili oil and soy sauce, of course, is always a must for any type of bun and made this even more delicious.
Pan Fried Pork Dumpling
This is very much like the Pan Friend Beef Bun, just in a different shape and stuffed with flavorful, seasoned pork instead of beef. These don’t have the juiciness of the beef bun but the outside of the dumpling is nice and crispy while the inside is dougy. There’s a good amount of pork filling in these as well!
Chinese Beef Wrap
The Chinese Beef Wrap is a unique item on the menu. The outside of the wrap is crispy and flaky and inside is doughy with tender strips of marineted beef, scallion, and cilantro inside. This is somewhat similar to the beef bun and pork dumpling except the beef wrap is a lot flakier and has thinly sliced cuts of marineted beef. I liked the addition of the cilantro. It really complements the beef well.
The Verdict
I really enjoyed the food at A&J Restaurant. The standout for me was the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. The soup broth, fresh noodles, and tender chunks of beef are really outstanding.
Since the beef bun, pork dumpling, and beef wrap are all somewhat similar I’d go with whatever you’re in the mood for on that particular day. You probably don’t need all three unless you’re with a large party to share.
However, if I had to choose only one of the three it would be the beef bun. What specifically stood out for me was the immense flavor from all the juice contained within it.
There’s so much more here I want to try too.
This is certainly a Taiwanese spot that warrants a stop when you’re in the Irvine area!
A&J Restaurant
14805 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92618
http://website.uniquemobileapps.com/free/rios12345/west-coast
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Shin-Sen-Gumi A Southern California Staple For Hakata Ramen
The Background
I’ve been eating at the Shin-Sen-Gumi Fountain Valley location, essentially since it opened, back in 2000. To say that I’m a fan would be an understatement. Much like anyone’s favorite restaurant, there’s something about its ramen, atmosphere, and overall vibe that has kept me coming back for years.
Their specialty ramen broth is the hakata tonkatsu broth. Based off their website they evidently prepare the broth over a three-day period. They’re meticulous with how the broth is prepared and the broth is temperature sensitive. It goes through several processes and needs to be remain heated all day to maintain its highest quality.
They use an original Shin-Sen-Gumi noodle recipe for their Hakata-style noodles. These are not made in house, but are made daily for them by an outside noodle shop.
Shin-Sen-Gumi has a cental kitchen system. The ingredients are freshly prepared and transported to all 14 branches daily.
The Experience
As I’ve noted, I’ve been coming to this restaurant for 20+ years. Which is pretty insane to me. Time really flies. Correspondingly, there’s a comfort and familiarity in taking a seat here and getting a nice bowl of ramen.
The interior is pretty small. The main seating is a large bar that wraps around forming an L shape. There’s some tables lined around the outskirts of the room by the windows. It makes for a cozy atmosphere but can certainly get quite busy at times.
I always enjoy coming here during lunch. The lunch combos are filling for a very reasonable price. My go to has always been the C-Set: Hakata Ramen with a 1/2 Takana Fried Rice.
The menu has changed and expanded throughout the years but what keeps me coming back is the tonkatsu ramen.
When I first started coming here for lunch the Lunch combos ran from A-Set to D-Set. The options have grown through the years The Ramen
The tonkatsu ramen is topped with green onion and ginger and comes with a couple pieces of pork chashu. There’s numerous toppings you can choose from. I always get the bamboo, which comes out on the side. Lastly, I add in sesame seeds and a chili powder mixture to add some spice.
The broth has a deeply umami, rich pork flavor. It’s extremely satisfying and undoubtedly, hands down, my favorite ramen broth in Orange County.
You can choose the firmness of the noodes which are always fresh and al dente. These noodles are thinner which is a characteristic of Hakata ramen. You can add more noodles when you finish your first bowl, if you’re craving more.
The Fried Rice
The 1/2 portion of Takana fried rice always goes well with the Hakata Ramen. The stir-fried rice consists of leaf mustard, sweet and savory soy sauce flavored pork, onion and egg. I always add a little additional soy sauce to this as well. It’s definitely a tasty fried rice.
The Verdict
Shin-Sen-Gumi has been around for 31 years for a reason. It remains immensely popular and it’s food, at its core, by and large has remained largely unchanged from what I can taste. That’s a good thing! It’s consistency is certainly one of the reasons why its had sustained success. The Hakata ramen is a classic in my books and remains my favorite in the Orange County. That’s saying something considering the number of quality ramen options in the area!
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Burnin’ Mouth Brings Popular Nashville Hot Chicken To Irvine Spectrum
The Background
Nashville Hot Chicken is a spicy take on fried chicken that seems to get more and more popular with new restuarants opening up every year. 10-15 years ago I can’t really recall seeing too many Nashville Hot Chicken spots in Orange County. These days there seems to be quite a few.
Burnin’ Mouth at the Irvine Spectrum is one of the more recent Nashville Hot Chicken restaurants to open up in the area.
The Experience
Once you enter the restaurant you’re greeted by a few digital menus to order off of. The touch screen itself is easy enough to navigate through and select what you want. There’s no actual human interaction. That’s fine for most people but I could see it being problematic. If people have any questions about the menu there’s only one person manning the front.
Anytime I try a Nashville Hot Chicken spot I have to go with the chicken sandwich. I feel like that’s generally the item on the menu the restuarant is going to be most known for. Burnin’ Mouth calls their chicken sandwich the Coo Coo Sando. I grabbed the combo which comes with fries, and no drink which is kind of weird ($13.90).
There’s five different spice levels to choose from ranging from the lowest (Simple) to the hottest (Insane). I love me some spicy food but places are always different with how they define “spice”. So I played it safe and went with Ugly, which is the second hottest spice level.
The food came out pretty quickly and is a fair amount of food. The sandwich is a pretty decent size. It’s packed with coleslaw, crispy onions, a few pickles, and a large piece of fried chicken coated in spices and seasonings. The entire sandwich is oozing with a thousand island type sauce. It’s a really great presentation.
The piece of chicken had a nice crunch and had some spicy kick to it. Not overbearing heat but definitely a kick that I was a little surprised by. There were parts of the chicken that were a little dry and stringy though, which did take away from the overall enjoyment.
The brioche bun was nice and fluffy, the sauce very tasty, and the different textures with the cripsy onion, coleslaw, and pickles, all adding a diffent type of crunch and flavor with each bite. Overall a pretty delicious sandwich!
The fries were crispy with cajun seasoning sprinkled over the top. Definitely quality fries.
The Verdict
Burnin’ Mouth is a solid Nashville Chicken spot if you’re craving a spicy chicken sandwich. However, I can’t say it’s a place I’d go out of my way to go and get. While it’s pretty tasty, the dry, stringy parts of the chicken stood out to me. But if you find yourself out shopping at the Irvine Spectrum, it’s a solid place to stop by for a bite.
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Broadway Burger Bar & Grill In Las Vegas Delivers Quality Burgers On The Strip
The Background
There’s a lot of delicious burger options you can find on or around the Las Vegas Strip. Broadway Burger Bar & Grill is one such place. Located inside Village Streets at New York New York, the restaurant offers 13 different types of gourmet burgers. In looking at the current menu, its changed since my visit. Sure, there’s a few appetizers and salad options but in terms of main courses it’s ONLY burgers. Which, given the name, makes a lot of sense.
All beef patties are 8 oz, with turkey, chicken breast, impossible burger, and even a brat also being burger options. There’s a variety of different types of buns and rolls the burgers come on as well. Brioche buns, telera rolls, kaiser rolls, pretzel rolls, rye bread, english muffin, hot dog roll, and focaccia roll all make an appearance on the menu.
It’s quite the variety of bread you can get a burger on!
The Experience
I happened to stop by here after a Raiders game so it was pretty busy. Even still, the wait wasn’t too long (about 25 mins) considering there were a ton of people out and about. The menu appears to be different now since my visit. BUT when I went there was a classic Bacon Cheeseburger, which was an easy choice for me.
The Bacon Cheeseburger consisted of a Black Angus Beef patty, American Cheese, Applewood Bacon, with Thousand Island Dressing and a bucket of fries.
The patty was a good size, juicy, and very tasty. This had a great char flavor and was well-seasoned. It was a simple burger, a very typical bacon cheeseburger, but the ingredients and seasoning really made the burger stand out. It tasted like a burger barbequed in the backyard, just amped up by 10.
The Verdict
The Village Streets in New York New York is a fun little area to walk through and grab a bite to eat. Broadway Burger is certainly worth a visit if you find yourself hankering for a massive burger. With many different, unique options to choose from, there’s a burger for everyone.
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Saginaw’s Delicatessen | Is The Deli worth your Time and Money?
Saginaw’s Delicatessen is located on the second floor of the Circa Resort in Downtown Las Vegas and is open 24/7.
The Background
From Paul Saginaw, co-founder of Zingerman’s Deli (voted one of the best sandwich shops in the world), Saginaw’s Delicatessen opened up in Circa when the casino opened its doors in 2020.
The menu is expansive offering a wide array of items which you wouldn’t associate with a deli. But since this is open 24/7, they probably added some additional items to keep the interest up.
There’s unique breakfast items like Seiko’s Loco Moco and Breakfast Banana Split. Dinner items include Queen Maria’s Chicken Marsala and Old Vegas Scampi. Quite the variety of food options for a deli!
Of course the sandwich section is the main chunk of the menu. Broken into two sections: Grilled and not Grilled, there’s a large selection to choose from. The motto at the deli is the Delicatessen features sandwiches so big you’ll need two hands to eat them. So clearly, this added even more incentive to try one of the sandwiches here.
The Experience
I hadn’t heard of Saginaw’s before but was in Circa checking out its insane sports book and needed a little food break. While walking around the casino looking for food, I came across Saginaw’s. It’s hard for me to ever turn down a good sandwich so I decided to give it a try.
As I’ve said, the menu was much bigger than I was expecting. There were some interesting options but I had to get the classic corned beef and pastrami on rye bread.
It’s really a simple sandwich with just meat, bread, and mustard. A really classic sandwich with no frills attached, it comes with a handful of kettle chips. The corned beef and pastrami are both very lean with no fat. Packed with flavor and salted to perfection. Both are incredibly tasty and with the simplicity of this being a meat and bread sandwich you get the full flavor of the meat.
With that being said, since it’s a simple sandwich, I was a little disappointed in the overall size. This isn’t really a massive sandwich. The bread slices aren’t overly huge so there’s really not a ton of meat. For what you pay ($20) I feel like meat should be falling out of this sandwich with every bite. That’s not the case here.
The Verdict
The pastrami and corned beef are quality deli meats here with great flavor. I wish they overdid it with stuffing the sandwiches full of meat though. For a $20 sandwich I want to be wide-eyed at how massive the sandwich is, especially in Las Vegas. If you’re craving a deli style sandwich in Downtown Vegas, Saginaw’s Delicatessen is a solid option, albeit a little on the pricier side for what you get.
